Oglesby

Your Starved Rock adventure starts in Oglesby along the Illinois River Road

Located at the gateway to Starved Rock State Park, Oglesby takes pride in its small town feel and wide-ranging amenities. Interstate access, a community college, lively festivals, tourism traffic, and a vibrant downtown filled with independent businesses and unique dining options offer the features of a larger city with all the hometown charm of a small community.

Experience Oglesby – a small-town feel with large-scale amenities. Located near the Vermilion and Illinois Rivers and less than 100 miles from Chicago, Oglesby is uniquely situated to bring its residents and visitors the best of both worlds. Residents and visitors enjoy the benefits of state parks and recreation in their backyards along with year-round festivals and community events. Your Starved Rock adventure starts in Oglesby with options for comfortable lodging, memorable dining, boutiques, beauty salons, frequent entertainment, and more.

Accommodations

Oglesby has two hotels located in close proximity to gas stations and restaurants.

Attractions

Oglesby is known far and wide for its top-notch seasonal festivals – Summer Fun Fest, Boots Brews & BBQ, and Harvest Fest. But you can find something fun to do nearly all the time. Whether it’s trying your hand at axe throwing, enjoying live music on the bar patios, fishing, river rafting, swimming, disc golf, bowling at the historic Dickinson House, taking a continuing ed class at the local community college, or attending a program at the local library, there never has to be a dull moment in Oglesby.

Stay up-to-date on Oglesby events at https://oglesby.il.us/events-and-news/.

Dining

Whether you are looking for a quick meal, a relaxing dinner, or an entertaining evening out, Oglesby’s dining options have you covered. Oglesby is well known for its popular supper club, Garzenelli’s, serving up the traditional fried chicken and ribs along with many nightly specials and cocktails and a long standing pizza joint serving up traditional Italian pies. Visitors and locals flock to the popular iconic root beer stand in town for burgers, pork tenderloins, ice cream, and, of course, the cold root beer. Oglesby also has delicious selections of Mexican cuisine and fast food options. Looking for some pub food along with some night life? Oglesby has a great selection of bars each offering its own food options along with frequent live music and events.

Browse all food locations in Oglesby here.

Nature & Outdoors

With two state parks just outside city limits, Oglesby has some of the best recreational activities in the state. Experience year-round natural beauty at Starved Rock and Matthiessen parks. At Starved Rock State Park experience thirteen miles of trails to the eighteen canyons, numerous waterfalls, and spectacular Illinois River bluff overlooks. Matthiessen Park is located on the Vermilion River and contains five miles of trails to several canyons and waterfalls. In addition to the state parks Oglesby boasts well-maintained parks throughout the city including McPhedran Park which offers a walking/jogging trail with work out stations around a lake with fishing opportunities. Each park has a variety of playground equipment, softball and baseball fields, tennis and basketball courts and plenty of space for picnics. LeHigh Park, the largest Oglesby park, boasts the Starved Rock Disc Golf course, sand volleyball pits, and even a special spot for our furriest friends, the Starved Rock Dog Park directly across the street. Children of all ages can be found throughout the summer months splashing and diving at the Oglesby Municipal pool just west of LeHigh. Oglesby also has a boat launch dubbed the, Canoe Landing, so it’s the perfect place to get started on your river adventure or to pull out to enjoy a break.

Shopping & Services

With, appliance, gas stations, truck stops, beauty salons, and general store options, tourists can pick up necessities or get services in town. Oglesby also has a florist, barber shop, massage, auto repair, and much more. Browse Oglesby businesses here.